


They Had to Start Somewhere

by springawake



Category: Bye Bye Birdie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 17:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4487568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springawake/pseuds/springawake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short series about how (I believe) Rose and Albert got together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Love me, honey_

_You know I love you, honey_

Albert sighed, tapping his pencil on the nearly empty sheet of paper. Those two lines had been staring at him all morning. He had the bare outlines for the song's melody; knew every chord, every rhythm, but he was stuck on the lyrics. Hopelessly, hopelessly stuck. Who knew writing a simple love song would be so difficult?

But he had to write something. He needed to finish the song by Friday, so he could send it to Mr. Birdie for a preview. Albert shook his head and tried again.

_Your sparkling eyes_

_Your sweet, sweet smile_

_Feeling your love dear_

_It's worth my while_

Albert glanced up from his desk. Across the office, Ms. Alvarez was working on writing a statement for the press of some kind, regarding their newest client. Something like that, at least. Albert wasn't sure was it was, to be honest. He was quite lucky to have Ms. Alvarez; she saved him from the horrors of finance and management, leaving him free to work on music. A moment later, she glanced up too; their eyes met and she gave Albert a small smile before returning to her work. Albert found himself smiling too. Another sigh, and he was back to staring at his scant page of music. His eyes happened to land on one line in particular.

_Your sweet, sweet smile_

Albert froze in place; he stole another glance at Ms. Alvarez. Still working away. She took no notice of Albert, who found he couldn't stop that familiar grin from working its way onto his face again. He shook his head, trying to focus. _Come on, Albert_. _This song needs to be finished by the end of the week! No more distractions._

He picked up his pencil again and tried in vain to think of something else, another verse to write before resorting to using the song's chorus again. But he couldn't get that line out of his head. Albert found himself thinking of Ms. Alvarez again, the way she smiled at him before... he wasn't writing about her, was he? _Of course not,_ he thought. _That would be ridiculous! Thinking about Ms. Alvarez, my_ _secretary while writing a love song... ridiculous._ At least, that's what Albert told himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose glanced at the clock hanging above Mr. Peterson's desk. Just after eleven. She pushed her work to the side and got to her feet, grabbing her purse and coat. Rose paused at the office door.

"Mr. Peterson?"

Her boss glanced up from his own work, long enough to let Rose know he was listening.

"I'm off to pick up lunch. Your usual all right?"

He gave her a distracted nod.

"Want me to stop by the bakery and see if they have any of those muffins you like?"

He stopped for a moment, considering it. "No thank you, Ms. Alvarez."

"Be back soon, then."

"Uh huh," Mr. Peterson murmured, immersed in his work once more.

Rose smiled to herself as she turned and closed the office door behind her. She stopped at the company's reception desk on her way out. "You ready, Mary?"

The receptionist nodded, pulling her purse out from under the desk and hurrying to her feet to join Rose. "Are we going to that cafe that sells cups of soup? With the really good breadsticks?"

Rose laughed. "Yes, Mary. I'm picking up for Mr. Peterson again, and that's where he usually gets his lunch."

The two women talked work for a block or two; until Mary decided she'd rather have girl talk than office talk. "So, Rose. Are you seeing anyone right now?"

Rose gave Mary a look before rolling her eyes. "Mary, you know I don't have time to be seeing anyone. Besides, there isn't anyone I'm particularly interested in anyway."

"What about Mr. Peterson?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"What about Mr. Peterson?"

"You could start seeing him!" Mary suggested.

Rose gave Mary a sideways glance. "Start seeing Mr. Peterson? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Well, why not?" Mary asked.

Rose let out a frustrated huff of breath. "I don't know, he's... he's so awkward! And shy. Half the time he doesn't even look me in the eyes when he's talking to me!"

Mary frowned. "Really? Huh."

"What?" Rose said.

"Nothing."

Neither spoke for a moment.

"So, you're really not interested in–"

"No!" Rose laughed. "Mr. Peterson is attractive, yes–"

Mary grinned.

"But like I said before. He's awkward, and shy... and don't even get me started on his mother!"

Mary laughed out loud at that. "The woman is a nightmare!" she agreed.

Rose smiled. "Besides, Mare, we work together. He's my boss, I'm his secretary, we could never–" She shook her head. "He keeps me busy enough that I don't have time to be seeing anyone anyway. I'm perfectly happy to maintain a professional relationship with Mr. Peterson."

Mary gave Rose a slight shrug. "All right, Rose. If you say so.”


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as the train stopped, Albert hurried off the subway to the street above. Part of the line had been closed for repairs, so he was forced to get off a few stops earlier than he usually did, which meant walking home and arriving much later.

_Poor Mama will be worried sick,_ he thought, starting to feel a bit anxious himself. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his mother. So he walked as quickly as he could, passing apartment buildings, laundromats, drug stores. A florist shop.

He slowed, his eyes lingering on the flowers in the window for a moment; then he stopped, lost in a daydream. _I got these for you,_ _he'd say sheepishly, offering the bouquet to Rose—_

Albert shook his head. Where had that thought come from? Imagining giving R—  _Ms. Alvarez_ , he corrected himself— flowers.

_She could put them on her desk,_ he thought. _Brighten the workplace a little—_

Albert groaned and began walking again, trying to push the image away and instead focus on getting home as soon as possible. But he couldn't get Ms. Alvarez out of his head. Or the thought of giving her flowers, of all things.

"Why did I call her Rose?" he muttered to himself. "I've never called her that before in my life... Maybe it was seeing the roses in the window that did it. Yes, that must be why," he decided.

And then he was home. His mother's frantic chatter was enough to push all thoughts of his secretary from his mind for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Friday was cleaning day at Almaelou. Despite Rose's best efforts, their filing cabinets always managed to become cluttered and disorganized. Once a week she waged war on the piles of paperwork, hoping that maybe they'd _stay_ organized for once.

Rose emptied a drawer and carried its contents across the office, laying her load out on her desk. She glanced up and realized she had left the filing cabinet open.

"Albert, could you get that for me?" she asked, distracted by the daunting mountain of forms she was trying to sort through.

"What?"

Rose heaved a frustrated sigh. "The filing cabinet, Albert. Could you close the drawer for me?" She looked up and found him staring at her, frozen in place. Rose frowned. "What?"

Albert coughed, turning pink. "I, uh— you— you called me Albert."

"Oh." She did? She hadn't even realized. Rose felt her own cheeks start to flush. "I'm sorry, I didn’t— didn't think it would bother you."

“It— I mean..." Albert trailed off, not looking at Rose.

She shrugged a little and turned back to her desk. "We _have_ worked together a little over a year. Don't you think it's about time we call each other by our first names?"

“I— I don't know, maybe—”

Rose pretended not to notice Albert's discomfort. "You could call me Rose, if you want," she said lightly. "I wouldn't mind."

Albert shook his head. "No, I— I think I'll stick with Ms. Alvarez for now," he stammered. "Sorry."

Rose shrugged again, as if to say it was no big deal. "No need to apologize. Whatever you're comfortable with... Mr. Peterson."

He shot Rose a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she mumbled back. If it wasn't a big deal, why did Rose feel so disappointed?


	5. Chapter 5

_Let's see... finished all of the filing, proofread Albert—_ Mr. Peterson's— _statement for the papers, planned tomorrow's meeting..._

Rose shrugged on her coat and picked up her purse. Was there anything else she needed to—

_Right!_ Rose dropped her purse and exchanged it for a pen and paper. _Mr. Peterson still needs the contact information for that new client._ She scribbled down the man's address and phone number and tore the few lines of writing from the rest of the page.

Rose picked up her purse again and stopped by Mr. Peterson's desk on her way out of the office. "Mr. Peterson?" He looked up and Rose stuck out her hand, offering him the scrap of paper. "Here's the address you needed."

She didn't know exactly how it happened. But Mr. Peterson had always been an awkward man, and the slip of paper was quite small, and— the next thing Rose knew her heart was racing. It was just a gentle brush of his hand against hers, but it was enough to make her skin tingle, her nerves jump. Rose felt her face grow hot and she quickly turned away before Mr. Peterson could see.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she called over her shoulder as she hurried abruptly from the office.

Albert sat frozen at his desk, hand still outstretched from when he took the paper scrap from Ms. Alvarez. He felt a lump forming in his throat and tried to swallow it down, but he found he couldn't shake the effects of one simple touch of his secretary's hand. Finally his hand dropped and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"I must be losing my mind," he mumbled, still staring blankly in the direction in which Ms. Alvarez walked out. _Or did Ms. Alvarez also feel something when our hands touched?_

Albert shook his head and got to his feet, shrugging his jacket on and picking up his briefcase. "No, it... it can't be," he told himself. "Ms. Alvarez wouldn’t—" He couldn't find the right words, but somehow he knew, he was sure; Ms. Alvarez passed him a slip of paper, and then she walked out the door. No magic moment, no special touch. Nothing of importance just happened between Ms. Alvarez and himself. He could hope, but...

* * *

Eleven o'clock. Lunchtime again. As always, Mr. Peterson was working away with a new song, suit jacket hanging off the back of his chair, sleeves pushed up past his elbows; completely oblivious to the world around him.

Until Rose approached his desk and laid a hand on his arm for the briefest moment; he jumped in his seat and she acted as though nothing happened.

"I'm off to get lunch. Do you want your usual?"

“I— sorry, what?" he stammered, turning to Rose and suddenly appearing panicked and out of breath.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm leaving to pick up lunch, Mr. Peterson. Do you want your usual?"

Mr. Peterson composed himself and nodded. "Yes, that would be fine. Thank you, Ms. Alvarez."

Rose flashed him a quick smile before turning on her heel and exiting the office. The moment she was out of earshot of Mr. Peterson, Rose groaned and let her shoulders sag. _I have no idea what could have possible possessed me to do that,_ she thought pitifully, touching his arm like that. _The poor man jumped clear out of his seat! And I don't think it was just because I startled him..._

Meanwhile, Albert was still reeling in silent shock. First it was the touch of their hands exchanging that slip of paper on Monday. Albert brushed that off as a simple accident. But then it happened again on Tuesday; Rose was passing him a pen, and their hands touched. And on Wednesday, it wasn't a pen or a scrap of paper; it was his lunch bag. Albert could have sworn she let her hand linger that time, remaining in contact with his for a fraction of a second longer than it needed to. By the time Rose brushed by him on his way out of the office on Thursday, her hip just grazing his, Albert was sure she was doing it on purpose. And after today, he was absolutely, one hundred percent sure that Ms. Alvarez was orchestrating all of those small touches; they couldn't possibly all be accidents or coincidences.

And it was driving him crazy. Because Albert wasn't going to lie to himself any longer. He was— well, he was starting to— develop _feelings_ for Ms. Alvarez.

There. He said it. Or thought it, at least.

Albert had no idea how it happened, when it happened, but he couldn’t deny that it _did_ happen. And he had tried to avoid it, too. He really did. After all, they work together, and Mama would _never_ approve, and... if Albert were honest with himself, he didn't think there was a chance Ms. Alvarez would return his feelings. Not because she disliked Albert, or anything like that. But simply because he was Albert, and she was Ms. Alvarez. Smart and capable and confident and—

"Beautiful," Albert murmured aloud. It was true. She was. Albert began to notice it that day he found himself unable to stop smiling at the thought of her. At the thought of her smiling at him.

He finally admitted it. He was starting to fall for Ms. Alvarez.

* * *

Rose was stuck waiting in line at the cafe, foot tapping impatiently as the crowd inched slowly along. On top of the exasperated frustration she felt was the sense of embarrassment that curled up in Rose's stomach, squirming about as the memory from earlier refused to go away.

"Of all the stupid things I could have done," she muttered under her breath. "The man won't even call me by my first name, and here I am touching him all over." The line moved up slightly, and Rose heaved a sigh. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she murmured. "This past week, I just..."

_We've known each other for some time now,_ Rose told herself, trying to sound convincing. _Surely after working with someone for a year, you're bound to become friends with him. And there's nothing wrong with a few touches here and there between friends. I do it with Mary all the time, tapping her shoulder, nudging her arm to get her attention. So really, there's nothing wrong with doing it with Mr. Peterson. Nothing at all…_


	6. Chapter 6

**TWO MONTHS LATER**

It was nearing the end of another long day at Almaelou. Rose was tidying up her desk, in a hurry to get home.

"Ms. Alvarez?" She glanced up; Mr. Peterson was standing in front of her desk, looking unusually anxious (more so than most days, anyway).

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Peterson?" she asked, straightening a mess of papers into a pile.

"Will you— I— I was wondering if you'd have dinner with me," he stammered.

"Of course," Rose agreed, without looking up. "What is it you want to talk about?"

Mr. Peterson was taken aback. "I'm not sure I know what you mean..." he said slowly.

Now Rose was confused. She stopped her paper sorting and gave him a look. "At dinner? Don't you mean to be discussing work?"

"Oh! I... well..." Mr. Peterson tugged at his collar and looked away, refusing to meet Rose's eyes.

She frowned. Rose couldn't see why he would possibly be so embarrassed about talking business over dinner, unless... "Mr. Peterson," she said slowly. "Do you mean this to be a... a date?"

There was a long pause; finally his hand dropped to his side and he gave the smallest of nods, as if he were embarrassed by having to admit his intentions to Rose. Rose didn't know what to think. A date. Albert was asking her on a _date_. He wanted to spend time with her outside of the office, he...

He was her boss. Handsome as he was, she and Albert still worked together. Did this mean he wanted a _relationship_? He wanted to date her? It was odd, realizing he saw Rose as more than just his secretary. _What if it all goes wrong?_ Rose thought. _What if we date and it turns out we can't stand each other? What if..._

"I... I'm sorry," Albert mumbled, interrupting Rose from her thoughts. "I shouldn't have said anything, I—”

He shook his head and started to turn away. Rose acted without thinking; she reached across her desk and grabbed Albert's wrist, anything to keep him from walking away. His eyes were back on Rose immediately, and they were wide with shock.

"Ms. Alvarez—”

"I didn't say no," she told him, releasing his wrist. _It wouldn't hurt to give it a try,_ Rose thought. Besides, she didn't even want to think about how heartbroken her shy, soft-spoken boss would be if she had said no; she had already seen how his face fell and his shoulders drooped when she hesitated to answer. She might as well go to dinner with him, at least once. _Mary's going to love this..._

Albert frowned, still looking uneasy. “But—”

"I would still like to have dinner with you."

That was when the beginnings of a smile appeared on his face. "You would?"

Rose smiled back at him. "Of course, Albert."

She could swear she saw him flinch ever so slightly when she called him by his first name. Rose sighed heavily. "Is it all right if I call you Albert? At least when we're outside the office?" she added when it looked like he was about to protest. A long moment passed before he nodded, looking hesitant.

"If you really want to, Ms. Alvarez." Rose just barely succeeded in holding back a groan. She settled for rolling her eyes as she quickly wrote down her address for Albert.

"Here," she said, handing him a scrap of paper. "My address. I can be ready by eight if that works for you."

“I— all right," he stammered. "Eight then?"

Rose gave him a curt nod and then a grin before gathering up her things. "I'll see you tonight, Albert. Eight o'clock." With that, Rose turned on her heel and hurried out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Albert arrived at 8:11. But he came bearing flowers and a nervous smile. So Rose didn't mind.

The restaurant he took her to was small, but intimate in a quiet and cozy sort of way. It was the kind of place most people walked right past without even noticing it was there. Rose thought it was wonderful.

And she couldn't help but smile to herself when Albert spent the first five minutes of their date hiding behind his menu. It didn't surprise her in the least that he feigned indecision to avoid meeting the eyes of the woman sitting across the table from him. Soon a waiter came by to take their orders. And their menus. Albert found himself staring at the tablecloth now that he had lost his first line of defense against Ms. Alvarez's gaze.

"Albert?"

He couldn't help himself. He glanced up, and she was looking right at him, smiling beautifully. It was stupid; of course it wasn't really happening, but Albert could have sworn his heart stopped. And that's when it finally sunk in. Sitting across the table from him, maybe three feet away, was Ms. Alvarez. They were on a date. He actually asked her on a date, and she said _yes_. And she was sitting right across from him, looking even more beautiful than she ever had, and—

" _Albert_."

He realized he had been staring. Suddenly his cheeks felt warm; he cleared his throat and looked away. "Yes?" He snuck another glance at his date and saw that she was still smiling.

"I was just going to say that you've been awfully quiet," Ms. Alvarez said with a small laugh. "It's a _date_ , Albert. We're not at the office. You can relax a little, if you want."

She was right. _We're not at the office,_ he reminded himself. _Just take a deep breath, and..._

He gave Ms. Alvarez a small grin. "I'll try."

Time seemed to slip away from them; before long, Albert found himself standing in front of Ms. Alvarez's apartment (she had insisted he walk her all the way back to her door; just taking her back to her building apparently wasn't good enough). The date went well, in his opinion. By the time their food had arrived, Albert didn't feel quite so nervous anymore. And Ms. Alvarez definitely enjoyed herself; even now she was smiling and laughing happily.

But now it was time to say goodbye. So Albert said good night, and turned to walk away. He didn't get far before a hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks.

"You're not really leaving without kissing me good night, are you?" his secretary asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Albert felt his cheeks grow hot again. _What? She wants me to_ kiss _her?_ It was only their first date! But she really did look as though she was expecting a kiss…

So he bent down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, before he had a chance to talk himself out of it. He was sure his whole face was flushed pink, and he knew for a fact that his heart was racing. Ms. Alvarez just smiled at him.

"Good night, Albert.”


	8. Chapter 8

The morning after, Rose ran into Albert on her way into work. Most days she arrived at Almaelou a good fifteen minutes before Albert; that morning she was almost knocked over as they collided turning a corner.

“I’m so sorry!” Albert apologized immediately. “I— oh! Ms. Alvarez, I… I didn’t realize it was you.”

Rose gave him a small smile. “Yes, well… I was running a little late this morning. Otherwise I’d already be at the office.”

Albert nodded. “Ah.” They walked the next block in silence.

“How are you, Albert?” Rose asked finally.

“I’m well. And you, Ms. Alvarez?”

She laughed. “For the hundredth time, Albert! You can call me Rose. But I’m fine, thank you.”

There was another pause. “I had a good time last night,” Rose added, looking up at Albert.

He sighed and came to a stop; Rose did as well. “I… I’ve been thinking. About last night.”

“Yes?” 

Albert’s mouth opened and then shut again; he looked torn. Finally he said in a very small voice: “I don’t think we should have gone out, Ms. Alvarez.”

Rose frowned. “Why not? I really enjoyed myself, Albert. And by the end I know you did too. What makes you think it was a mistake?”

“D-don’t you think it’s odd for someone to date their secretary?” Albert stammered. “Or their boss? We work together, Ms. Alvarez, and—”

“But that’s not who we were last night!” Rose interrupted.

Albert frowned. “What do you mean?”

Rose crossed her arms and looked Albert right in the eyes. “Last night, we were _not_ a boss and his secretary. We were not Mr. Peterson and Ms. Alvarez; we were Albert and Rose, we were on a date, and I think it went very well!”

“But—”

“You’re allowed to have a life outside the office, Albert,” Rose said gently. “And so am I. If there’s some other reason you’d rather not see me again, if your feelings have changed—”

“No!” Albert exclaimed. “That’s— that’s not it at all,” he said softer, embarrassed by his outburst. “I think you’re wonderful, Ms. Alvarez.”

Rose smiled. “So it’s settled then. We have no reason not to see each other outside of the office.”

Albert's eyes went wide. “I— well, if you’re _sure_ —” he stammered.

Rose laughed. “I am, Albert. And for the record, I think you’re wonderful too.”

Albert’s cheeks felt hot; for a moment, her endearing smile and sweet comment left him speechless. “Could I take you out again sometime?” he blurted finally. Rose reached out and took one of his hands in hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Of course.”

* * *

 _Another successful date,_ Albert thought. He couldn’t have felt more proud of himself. After Ms. Alvarez’s insistence, he finally came to realize that she _could_ be more than a secretary; she could be— well— a girlfriend as well. And for whatever reason, that realization helped Albert to be not quite so nervous this time. No more hiding behind menus or refusing to meet her eye.

Once again, Albert walked Ms. Alvarez back to her apartment after they had finished dinner. And this time, he knew what she would be expecting after their date.

“Good night, Ms. Alvarez,” he murmured as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She gave him a smile, and Albert started to walk away. Until he heard a pair of heels clacking behind him, followed by a hand on his arm gently turning him around. He was met by the sight of an unamused Ms. Alvarez, hand on her hip and eyebrows raised.

“That was all right for a first date, Albert. But it’s not going to cut it this time.”

Albert frowned. What was wrong with his kiss? He didn’t even need prompting this time, he—

He was very abruptly pulled from his current train of thought when Ms. Alvarez stepped forward, took his face in both hands and hurriedly pressed her lips to his. Albert couldn’t help it; his mouth fell open and his eyes were wide when she stepped away. He was speechless; did she really… did she really just do that? Rose lifted her chin and looked Albert right in the eyes.

“That is the sort of kiss I will be expecting after each date from here on out,” she told him, sounding quite a bit more confident than she felt. _Did I really just do that?_ Hopefully he couldn’t tell that her hands were shaking or that her cheeks already felt hot and flushed.

“I— I…” Albert stammered. “All right,” he agreed. Good night, Rose.” And with that, he turned and hurried away, out of her apartment building. Rose let out a laugh at his abrupt departure. But she couldn't be mad.

 _After all,_ she thought, _he just called me Rose!_


End file.
